WEBVTT - Why Does Your Cat Lick You?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Bola Bam Here. Cats do all

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<v Speaker 1>kinds of stuff we don't understand, sometimes it seems like

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<v Speaker 1>on purpose, including licking humans. Dogs have more of a

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<v Speaker 1>reputation for being social, goofy, and lacking a nuanced concept

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<v Speaker 1>of personal boundaries. Cats are generally thought of as being

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<v Speaker 1>more standoffish and less prone to slobbering all over their

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<v Speaker 1>human compatriots. But every once in a while, your cat

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<v Speaker 1>will lose that sense of boundary and begin licking your

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<v Speaker 1>face or arm with that scratchy tongue, begging the question why.

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<v Speaker 1>For the article, this episode is based on How Stuff Works.

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<v Speaker 1>Spoke by email with Anita Kelsey, a cat behaviorist and

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<v Speaker 1>author of the book Let's Talk About Cats Conversations on

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<v Speaker 1>Feline Behavior, and she said cats explore the world as

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<v Speaker 1>kittens through their mouths and by chewing on things. They

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<v Speaker 1>lick to groom themselves and lick other cats, a behavior

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<v Speaker 1>called alo grooming in order to bond and groom. Cats

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<v Speaker 1>have a huge number of scent receptors compared with humans,

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<v Speaker 1>about two million compared to our measly five million, so

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<v Speaker 1>scent plays a big part in their everyday lives. Cats

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<v Speaker 1>can smell in two different ways. First, they sniff through

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<v Speaker 1>their noses in short, fast inhalations that capture the scent

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<v Speaker 1>molecules and hold them in a chamber in their nasal

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<v Speaker 1>cavity to let all of their sent receptors do their work.

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<v Speaker 1>A second, cats can taste and analyze scent through an

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<v Speaker 1>organ on the roof of their mouth called the Jacobson's

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<v Speaker 1>organ or the Eva Marionasal organ. When they're using this organ,

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<v Speaker 1>they make a weird face, sort of an open mouthed

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<v Speaker 1>grimace that scientists call a flame in response. This looks

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<v Speaker 1>to us like they're expressing distaste or disgusted, but they're

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<v Speaker 1>really just directing air towards the roof of their mouth.

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<v Speaker 1>Because most of a cat's face is involved in the

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<v Speaker 1>activity of smelling, it makes sense that a cat would

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<v Speaker 1>lick you in order to get more information about you.

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<v Speaker 1>But more than that, cats lick who they like, and

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<v Speaker 1>Kelsey said, cats lick us as a sign of closeness, bonding,

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<v Speaker 1>and affection. It's a form of grooming us, as they

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<v Speaker 1>do with other cats that they've bonded with. I'm sure

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<v Speaker 1>they're also enjoying taking in our scent. They love armpits,

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<v Speaker 1>for example, as there is a strong scent there. Although

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<v Speaker 1>cats aren't as exuberant in their demonstration of affections as

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<v Speaker 1>dogs usually are, according to Kelsey, we shouldn't compare the

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<v Speaker 1>two animals. She said, we are seen as part of

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<v Speaker 1>the cat family. Cats show us affection through behaviors like

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<v Speaker 1>remaining in our company, purring, sleeping next to us and

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<v Speaker 1>on our laps, and rubbing against us. Aside from a

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<v Speaker 1>cat's general affection for you and the urge to groom,

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<v Speaker 1>a buddy, cat might lick you for a variety of

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<v Speaker 1>other reasons. For starters, If your cat is regularly coming

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<v Speaker 1>at you with its sand paper tongue, the reason might

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<v Speaker 1>be that it wants to mark you as its territory,

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<v Speaker 1>and what better way to tell other cats to back

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<v Speaker 1>off than by smearing you with a little special spit perfume.

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<v Speaker 1>Cats also tend to lick things that they think are tasty.

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<v Speaker 1>Cats can't taste sweet things. They're the only mammal that can't,

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<v Speaker 1>but they might really like your hand, the lotion or

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<v Speaker 1>the residue that breakfast left on your fingers. If you

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<v Speaker 1>find that your cat is particularly interested in a specific

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<v Speaker 1>cosmetic product or appointment you use, especially a prescription ointment

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<v Speaker 1>like a hormone cream. Ask your vet whether it's safe

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<v Speaker 1>for them to ingest. Some cats also lick in order

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<v Speaker 1>to cope with stress or fear, and this behavior is

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<v Speaker 1>especially common in cats who were taken away from their

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<v Speaker 1>mothers very early, but it can happen in any cat.

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<v Speaker 1>If this behavior seems to worsen over time or is

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<v Speaker 1>accompanied by nervous body language, or if they begin over

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<v Speaker 1>grooming themselves to the point of creating bald spots, it's

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<v Speaker 1>a good idea to ask your vet about treatment. But

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<v Speaker 1>what about when licking is too much for you. It's

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<v Speaker 1>very sweet that your cat likes you but wants to

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<v Speaker 1>keep you clean or wants to tell other cats that

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<v Speaker 1>you're their person, But sometimes the licking can get to

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<v Speaker 1>be too much, especially because those little carratin barbs on

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<v Speaker 1>their tongue called pepilli, can hurt. Cat tongues are scratchy

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<v Speaker 1>because they need them to act as a brush for

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<v Speaker 1>combing fur and dislodging dirt, dander, and fleas. The papilli

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<v Speaker 1>are really effective tools because they're stiff, shape, wick saliva

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<v Speaker 1>off the tongue and onto the cat's fur for ease

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<v Speaker 1>of grooming and body temperature regulation. Researchers have even designed

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<v Speaker 1>better cat brushes based on the analysis of these barbs,

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<v Speaker 1>but they can definitely wear on sensitive skin. To dissuade

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<v Speaker 1>your cat from licking you, you can try distracting them

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<v Speaker 1>with a toy of getting out of brush and grooming them,

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<v Speaker 1>simply walking away, or even just putting a cardboard box

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<v Speaker 1>in the middle of the floor. It's worth a shot.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode is based on the article why does my

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<v Speaker 1>cat Lick Me? On how stuff works dot com written

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<v Speaker 1>by Jesslyn Shields. Brain Stuff is production of I Heart

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<v Speaker 1>Radio in partnership with how stuff works dot Com, and

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<v Speaker 1>it's produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts my heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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<v Speaker 1>you listen to your favorite shows.